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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. cell — a phone
  7. cell — in biology
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. shower — rain
  11. saw — the tool
  12. mine — for digging
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. wax — to grow
  18. shower — to wash
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — in cards
  22. saw — the tool
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. mine — belonging to me

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com